Indonesia executes first prisoner in four years

Human rights groups have criticised the Indonesian government for carrying out its first execution in more than four years. Officials say 48-year old Adami Wilson, executed by firing squad last week, was a convicted heroin trafficker from Malawi in southern Africa. He was the first prisoner executed in Indonesia since 2008. The Indonesian Attorney General's office says it plans to put nine more people to death this year, a surprise turn-around after Indonesia had indicated it was shifting away from the death penalty.

The resumption of executions has alarmed rights groups who say the government is using the death penalty as a political tool in the lead up to 2014 general election.Amnesty International's Indonesia Researcher, Papang Hidayat, says Indonesia's return to the death penalty is "shocking"."Carrying out even more executions now would be hugely regressive," he said."We urge the Indonesia government to immediately halt any plans to put more people to death."Attorney General Office spokesman, Setia Untung Ari Muladi, told Radio Australia the total number of death row inmates in Indonesia is 111.Murder cases make up 60 of those, two are terrorism cases and 49 are drugs related. This includes people waiting for appeal, judicial review and clemency, he said.Most of the death row cases related to drugs involve foreign citizens.Indonesia has than 100 citizens on death row overseas. Foreign Minister, Marty Natelegawa, says it's difficult to ask other countries not to apply the death penalty on Indonesian citizens while Indonesia still uses the punishment. While it's believed some senior government figures are in favour of scrapping the death penalty, public popularity of the punishment makes it difficult to remove.The last time an execution was carried out in Indonesia was when three of the men involved in the 2002 Bali bombings were put to death.

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